1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a structure of a water spray plate for spraying shower water that is mounted to particularly a tip end of a shower head as one used in shower rooms, bathrooms, wash sinks or in barbershops and beauty salons.
2. Description of the Related Art
A shower head is generally arranged in that a water spray plate is mounted to a tip end of a main body of the shower head that is connected to a shower hose. A plurality of small water spray holes of identical size opens on the water spray plate. Water or hot water supplied through the shower hose passes through a main body of the shower hose and is split through the plurality of water spray holes formed on the water spray plate. Through these water spray holes, small streams of water, that is, shower water, is respectively discharged.
A generally used conventional shower head was arranged to have a diameter of the water spray holes of the water spray plate of approximately 0.8 mm to 1.0 mm, to have a number of holes of approximately 60 to 100, and to have an entire aperture area of approximately 40 mm2 to 65 mm2.
Shower heads referred to as water-saving type shower heads are being sold in these days. More particularly, various measures are taken for saving the amount of water when using the shower. For instance, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 8-266940 (1996) suggests a shower head provided with a water flow portion of narrow diameter having a shape in which its outlet side is widened in diameter in the interior of a head portion. However, special parts are required for forming the water flow portion of narrow diameter in this prior art example so that inconveniences such as increases in manufacturing costs are caused.
Theoretically, the entire aperture area of the water spray holes shall be generally made small for reducing the amount of water when using the shower. For this purpose, the number of water spray holes or the diameter of the respective water spray holes shall be reduced.
However, while it is possible to achieve water-saving effects by merely reducing the number of water spray holes, dispersed expansion as shower water cannot be obtained. Inconveniences are accordingly caused in that the sense of showering is lost or that the amount of water that hits a portion to be washed is reduced. Since the washing action is degraded in this manner, the time of using the shower is prolonged so that the initial purpose of saving water cannot be achieved. Moreover, while water-saving effects can be exhibited by merely reducing the size of the respective water spray holes, drawbacks are presented in that the spraying pressure will become higher so that one might feel pain when water hits his or her body.
Plus ion and minus ion are present in air in a balanced manner. In urban areas in which the air is polluted, the amount of plus ion in air tends to be increased while reductions in minus ions are observed. In natural world, a large amount of minus ion is observed in air when being in woodlands or hot-spring areas and when close to waterfalls and fountains. In such circumstances in which the amount of minus ion in air is large, it is said that there is beneficial effect on work efficiency, amenity, weariness and healing of human beings.
Minus ion is generated by large amounts when close to waterfalls, wherein minus ion is generated when dropping water is crushed. It is said that the amount of minus ion within air is accordingly increased in its periphery and this is also known to be a Lenard effect. Such a Lenard effect can be similarly obtained through shower water and minus ion was generated also when using conventional shower heads.
However, the inventors of the present invention have found out that the amount of generated minus ion when using conventional shower heads was not so large.